


Getting Over the Past

by Onecelestialbeing



Category: Kamisama Hajimemashita | Kamisama Kiss
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Love, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, Loss of Virginity, Nanami is of age, Romance, Sharing a bath and wine, Tomoe takes care of a sick Nanami again, manga mentions within, parental neglect
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:02:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28536339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onecelestialbeing/pseuds/Onecelestialbeing
Summary: Tomoe keeps finding Nanami asleep outside the shrine and both are confused as to why. Remember when he told her humans should not go through the Torii gates of Twelve? Takes place post OVAs 1-4.
Relationships: Momozono Nanami & Tomoe, Momozono Nanami/Tomoe
Comments: 11
Kudos: 57





	1. 1

Nanami stirred slightly when someone called her name. The first thing she saw was a pair of black tabi near her head, followed by two violet eyes that held a world of panic.

“Tomoe?” Nanami asked after yawning. Her sleepy eyes slowly opened wider to take in the view of the outer corridor bathed in pale grey light that accompanied a wintery dawn. “Why are we outside? It’s cold.”

Tomoe’s expression went from panicked to appalled.

During the week and sometimes on the weekend, Tomoe woke up earlier than everyone else so he could stand outside for a while and take in the fresh morning air without anyone breathing down his neck. The one person he wouldn’t have minded sharing that part of the day with was decidedly not a morning person. A snowball had a better chance at lasting in hell than Nanami Momozono did at making an appearance before the sun did. Which was why Tomoe lost his cool upon stepping outside and finding his fiancée curled into a tight ball asleep on the ground, barefoot and dressed in a too thin yukata.

“That is a very good question, Nanami. I am hoping you can enlighten me with the answer.”

By now Tomoe had yanked off his haori and draped it around a shivering Nanami before yanking her up and carrying her inside.

“Ooh, you’re so warm,” she murmured, burying her cold face into his neck and trying to steal his heat.

Tomoe flinched when Nanami’s cold lips and nose touched his skin, although it had little to do with the temperature of her skin.

The inner shrine was quiet as everyone was still asleep, and Tomoe carried Nanani directly to her room and deposited her in bed. Mamoru was curled up asleep on a corner of her futon and just like his mistress and her deep sleeping habits, remained undisturbed by the commotion.

“If you are intent on going for an early morning stroll, at least have the sense to dress properly,” he chastised, now rifling through her wardrobe. “Although in your case, I would prefer you stay inside at this hour. Only you would find some way to befall harm at five in the morning. Stand up please.”

“I’m not defenseless, Tomoe,” Nanami argued, still shivering beneath Tomoe’s haori as she rose from the futon. The dark blue garment completely engulfed her slight form and pooled around her feet, and she sulked slightly when Tomoe removed it and replaced it with a padded yukata. “And why the hell would I go for a walk this early? It’s Saturday! Only crazy people would willingly be awake at this hour.”

That comment earned Nanami a scathing look from her familiar as he pushed her to sit and kneeled to place thick socks upon her feet.

“I am going to ignore that in lieu of a more pressing issue at hand,” Tomoe crisply replied, rising to his full height. “If you weren’t going for a walk, why did I find you sleeping outside?”

“I have no idea,” Nanami replied with a shrug. “I fell asleep reading in bed and when I woke up, you were there with your feet in my face.”

“Nanami! This is serious, you could have been hurt. Do you honestly not recall anything beyond falling asleep last night?”

“No, Tomoe. I’m sorry but I can’t remember anything.”

Tomoe sighed and placed a hand upon Nanami’s head.

“Don’t be sorry. You’ve done nothing wrong,” he told her. “Wait here, I will bring you something to drink.”

During Tomoe’s brief absence, Nanami did her best to try and figure out how she’d managed to end up sleeping on the outer corridor. She was still deep in thought when Tomoe reappeared, a tray in hand with a tiny cup balanced in the center.

“Drink this,” he ordered, handing her the cup.

“Ugh, sake?! It’s disgusting! Why did you give me sake?!” Nanami continued, grimacing until Tomoe conjured a glass of water and handed it to her. 

“Tis just a small amount to warm you up,” he explained, taking the cup and glass from Nanami once she was finished. “There is no telling how long you were outside and it would not do for my lady to fall sick again.”

It turned out that Tomoe was correct; even though she drank a small amount of sake, it had been enough to send warmth throughout her chest and into her limbs. It also caused her to become relaxed and Nanami began yawning again.

“Back to bed with you,” he continued, resting a hand upon Nanami’s head and gently stroking her hair. “I promise to let you sleep late.”

“Okay,” Nanami replied, turning her head until Tomoe’s palm was against her cheek. Clawed fingers lovingly stroked her skin before cupping her chin, reluctantly withdrawing to gesture to the futon. “Thank you for looking after me, Tomoe.”

Nanami crawled beneath her blankets and it only took a couple minutes before she was fast asleep.

* * *

“Your lunch is on the table,” Tomoe told Nanami when she sauntered into the kitchen later that afternoon.

“Thank you! Hey, Tomoe did this morning really happen or did I dream that?”

“If you mean using the floor outside to sleep instead of the comfortable futon I clean for you every week, yes, this morning really did happen,” Tomoe replied in between sips of tea.

“What? Why were you sleeping outside, Nanami?” Mizuki asked, ignoring the glare Tomoe sent at him from across the table.

“It wasn’t as though I did it on purpose,” Nanami replied, settling down with her bowl. “I’m still sore from lying on the floor.”

“Then allow your favorite familiar to prepare your bath,” he offered in a syrup-sweet voice that Nanami knew was meant to aggravate Tomoe.

“You are pushing your luck, snake.”

“Did you have a nightmare, Nanami? Allow me to sleep in your room and I can wake you up in case it happens again.”

Tomoe looked as though he was really to kill Mizuki, and the only reason there was not an all-out brawl was Mikage walking into the room.

That was not the end of the matter. Tomoe had not been satisfied with Nanami’s answer but no matter how many times he brought up her strange sleeping habits, she maintained that she had no idea how she’d ended up outside. Two weeks passed without a repeat of the incident and it seemed as though all was well.

Tomoe had no idea of the time, but his body told him it was still the early hours of morning. Yet that wasn’t what caused his eyes to open. Nanami was in distress, and he ignored all propriety and left his bedroom to materialize in hers.

Immediately he noticed her blankets in complete disarray—Mamoru hidden beneath the folds with only the tip of his tail exposed— as though she’d kicked her way to become free.

Tomoe didn’t need fox fire to find his mate; the scent of tears emanating from outside as well as soft whimpers and some sort of pleading gibberish told him exactly where she was.

Forethought made him take the thick blanket from her futon and carry it with him. Nanami was just outside the shrine doors, this time face down with both arms outstretched before her as though she’d been trying to get away from something or someone.

No time was wasted in picking up the girl and wrapping the blanket around her shivering form. Tomoe noticed this time she was dressed in fuzzy pink pajamas that were thicker than her previous sleepwear on her outdoors venture, but it was still no match for the blustery air whipping around the shrine.

“No… it’s hot… we have to go…” Nanami murmured, her voice sleepy but frantic.

He didn’t see how she could be talking about anything hot; her body felt like a block of ice against him. Tomoe had the idea that she was having some sort of night terror, and for that reason he opted to wait and see what Nanami was dreaming about. The scent of her fear was thick enough for him to choke on, and his resolve finally broke when Nanami began crying in his arms.

By now they were inside and Tomoe sank to the floor and placed a hand upon Nanami’s cold, pale cheek. It took a few minutes before her whimpers stopped, and slowly a look of peace fell over her face.

“Tomoe,” she called softly, her words a little more than a sigh.

When Tomoe used his thumb to brush away from the fallen tears from Nanami’s face he was sure he could hear a breath of relief, even as she continued to sleep in his embrace.

“You lecherous fox! What are you doing with Nanami at this hour?!”

“Read the room, you simple-minded serpent,” Tomoe hissed at Mizuki, who sprinted over upon seeing Nanami in his arms. “And shut up before you wake her.”

“Why are you—”

“I told you to shut your mouth. If you want to be useful, make something hot for Nanami to drink. And don’t put in any of your stupid ingredients.”

There was something in Tomoe’s eyes and tone that brooked no argument, and Mizuki looked shamefaced but went to the kitchen anyway.

“What is happening in your dreams?” Tomoe asked softly, gently stroking his knuckles over the curve of Nanami’s cheek.

By the time Mizuki finished making tea, Nanami was beginning to stir.

“What are you two doing?” Nanami asked through a yawn. “And why are we here?”

“Guess where I found you again?” Tomoe replied, helping her to sit up. “Mizuki, where is the damn tea?”

“You know, there’s really no need to be so nasty,” Mizuki replied flippantly, kneeling in front of Nanami and handing her the steaming cup. “Are you okay, Nanami? What did that evil fox do to you now?”

“The only reason I won’t kick you is because I don’t want Nanami to drop her tea and burn herself,” Tomoe told him in a threatening tone from behind Nanami’s head. “But I make no promises as to what will happen later on.”

“Stop fighting,” Nanami groaned, clutching onto her cup with both hands. “The day hasn’t even begun yet and already you two are at it.” She sighed and took a sip. “I’m going back to bed.”

Tomoe and Mizuki shared the same perplexed look, as Nanami was the reason for them all being out of bed at the absurd hour. Now she made it sound like as though they were to blame.

“Well I guess I’ll go back to bed as well,” Mizuki sighed. “I still think you did something to my lady but I’ll get you later.”

Mizuki had the sense to rush away immediately after instigating another fight. Tomoe remained in the kitchen, blinking hard as he tried to figure out what the hell just happened and why he was being blamed for it.

* * *

There was a third instance of Nanami sleepwalking and when Tomoe found her, she felt almost frozen to the touch when he picked her up. He’d made her sit at the kotatsu for a while to warm up while disappearing for a few minutes. When he returned, he picked up Nanami without a word and she remained silent until realizing they were headed in the direction of the bathroom.

“Tomoe, it’s the middle of the night. Or morning? Either way, I don’t feel like taking a bath now,” she complained, wanting nothing more than to crawl back into her warm bed and sleep.

“What you don’t feel like is of little consequence,” he told her without breaking stride.

Nanami opened her mouth to argue but one glance up at her fiancé’s firmly set jaw made her rethink that plan.

She was set down once they were in the bathroom, and Nanami raised an eyebrow when Tomoe shut and warded the door with him on the inside.

“Were you planning on staying?”

“Yes. You have a bad habit of doing the opposite of what is good for you, and the last thing I want is for you to fall ill.”

It was obvious that Nanami was mortified by the idea of getting completely nude in front of Tomoe, and she stood in the wash area clutching onto her collar.

“I said I would stay in here, I did not say I would look,” he explained, moving to the opposite end of the bathroom and settling down with his back to her. “I promise to remain like so until you say when.”

Nanami decided this was one of the strangest interactions she and Tomoe had, and that was saying something. But she was exhausted and wanted to go back to bed, but knew Tomoe would end up throwing her beneath the shower and then into the bath himself if she didn’t do so.

She wouldn’t admit it, but the hot water did feel good on her skin, and the heat of the bath made her sigh blissfully. Tomoe always did know what was best for her, a fact that Nanami often struggled with.

“Nanami?” he suddenly called.

She looked across at Tomoe, finding him calmly puffing away at his kiseru.

“Yes?” she asked.

“Your maidenly shyness is endearing and might I say refreshing, but I do wonder what you plan to do when we share a bed. Or did you want us to make love with you still dressed in that strange underwear of yours?”

Nanami knew her ‘strange underwear’ was the gaudy leopard print bra and panty set Kei had convinced her to buy. She’d tried to hide it in her futon but Tomoe found it and she nearly expired on the spot. Now her face was seven shades of red and Nanami was overjoyed that Tomoe could not see her. Although knowing him and his cunning ways, he didn’t need to look at her to know she was blushing. Her silence was enough of a dead giveaway, as was the little squeak that escaped from her lips.

It was no secret that Tomoe was well experienced when it came to matters of the flesh, which was to be expected considering he was well past 600 years of age. As for Nanami, she was on the complete end of the spectrum; it was embarrassing to admit that Tomoe had been her first kiss, a kiss that had nothing to do with romance and everything to do with her not wanting to die. It was true that he was more reserved these days compared to the old Tomoe of the past, but Nanami often wondered if that change had to do with him being her familiar or due to her lack of experience with everything.

“Or perhaps you planned for us to do so in the dark of night while hidden beneath a pile of blankets?”

“Okay, now you’re just making fun of me,” Nanami sniped, sinking lower into the water.

She’d sooner eat her own arm rather than confess about her wealth of insecurities, especially when taking into consideration Tomoe and his past. She wasn’t jealous per se; she knew he loved her and only had eyes for her. But not feeling like a plain brown duckling while standing next to her beautiful swan of a mate was no easy feat. On top of that, Nanami didn’t need to look in a mirror to be reminded of what her body looked like.

Too often she had been reminded that she lacked much in the way of breasts, and everywhere else she was too straight and small. Tomoe’s friends, the Tanuki ladies, were curvaceous and filled out their kimonos perfectly. As for Nanami, she felt like a child playing dress up in adult clothing whenever she wore kimono. Yes, Tomoe was the one to help her into the kimonos and she definitely had his approval, but more than once he had taken part in calling attention to her small chest and thin frame.

“I am not. Though I would like to know if I am lacking in some area that causes you to feel uneasy.”

Nanami stared at the back of Tomoe’s head, watching the flumes of smoke floating above as he continued drawing on his kiseru.

“I’m surprised you have to ask,” she told him, trying her best to sound casual. “How many times have you pointed out my flat chest? But it’s not like I don’t know and you’re not the first guy to tell me; I’ve been hearing it since junior high.”

It was obvious to Tomoe that Nanami was deliberately trying to be matter-of-fact about the many times that she’d been hurt. Yet he didn’t need to turn around to know that she was hunched over protectively in the bath, the way she sat when feeling sad. His protective nature of her made him want to hunt down every male who had ever dare to lay their eyes upon his mate and make her feel inferior. But reminded himself that he too had taken part in hurting her, and he felt ashamed.

“I lied,” he admitted quietly. “It was a childish thing said out of denial for my feelings for you. I am sorry.”

“Apology accepted,” Nanami replied. “After all, I believe you. Remember when you told Kurama I was fleshier than it looked? I can’t believe how drunk you three got that night.”

It was Tomoe’s turn to be embarrassed, and Nanami didn’t try to hide her laughter.

* * *

In spite of the late night bath, Nanami woke up sick anyway a few days later.

When she didn’t come out for breakfast, Tomoe slid back the shoji doors with a loud bang and burst into her room while shouting threats of dragging her out of bed. Any other time Nanami would have fought to keep hold of her blankets, but when he waved a hand and caused them to fly off her body and across the room, she remained curled into a ball and barely acknowledged him.

“Hmm,” Tomoe hummed, kneeling beside a piteous, red-faced Nanami. He brushed her damp hair out her face and pressed a hand to her forehead. “You have a fever.”

Nanami tried to speak, and was unable to due to a loud cough that shook her small frame. Her body ached and her throat felt raw from coughing off and on for the past few hours, and a fever that caused her to sweat through everything left her cold and made her shiver.

“Good moooorning, Nanami!” Mizuki trilled from the doorway. “Are you ready to take your favorite familiar to school with you?”

“Favorite familiar my ass,” Tomoe sniped, waving his hand and causing Nanami’s blankets to carefully cover her again. “I told you to wipe the walls. I am very much acquainted with your skillset and I assure there is no way for you to be in both places at once.”

“What a mean not favorite familiar you are,” Mizuki sniffed before leaving Nanami’s doorway.

“You are not fit to go to school today, much less leave this bed,” Tomoe told her.

Everything felt as though it was made of lead, and Nanami was in no position to argue. She hadn’t even chewed out Mizuki and Tomoe for fussing at one another, something she never missed an opportunity for. The only thing she wanted to do was go back to sleep.

She closed her eyes, so out of it that she never realized Tomoe left her side. A few minutes later, however, it was hard to dismiss the warm hands that carefully moved her from the futon and kept her propped upright.

“Your bedding and clothes are soaked,” she heard Tomoe’s voice from somewhere above. “Everything needs to be washed but right now it cannot be helped. I shall dry it for now and after you take something you will go back to sleep.”

Tomoe’s sleeves were still tied back with his tasuki as he’d been making breakfast, and Nanami could feel the warmth of his exposed forearms against her chest as he held her in his lap. The last thing she wanted to do was sweat all over his clean yukata and apron, but he’d thought nothing of guiding her damp head against his shoulder while he tended to her bed.

“That will do for now,” he continued, and Nanami felt herself being placed back onto her futon. “This needs to be changed too,” Tomoe said, plucking at her sleeve. “I’ll be— _MIZUKI, GET AWAY FROM THE FUCKING DOOR AND GO WIPE THE WALLS!_ I can hear you out there, you lazy bastard! The floors in the worship hall require your attention as well.”

Mizuki whined from the other side of the wall but apparently followed instructions, because Tomoe rose once again while continuing to swear under his breath as he pulled out dry clothes for Nanami.

“Honestly, he is worse than a damn child. I should have sliced him into sashimi when I had the chance. Apologies for the interruption but as I was saying, I shall be quick.”

Nanami wanted to ask what Tomoe meant by being quick, but she soon found out when he untied her obi and removed the damp yukata. He was respectful and maintained her modesty, remaining at her back when her chest was exposed. Some ointment or salve that smelled strongly of herbs was massaged into her back, neck and chest, and had she been feeling better Nanami would have thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of Tomoe’s warm, capable hands moving across her skin. Sadly the massage was over too soon and she was efficiently redressed in a dry yukata, made to drink a cool glass of water and swallow something disgustingly bitter—“Don’t you dare spit it out,” Tomoe threatened—and tucked back into bed.

Her head still felt as though it was stuffed with cotton, but the water helped with her parched mouth and the clean pajamas and bedding felt cool against her skin. She wanted to thank Tomoe but her tongue refused to cooperate. He’d just laid a cool cloth against her forehead and moved to stand up when Nanami blindly reached for his hand.

“You are welcome, sweet girl,” he whispered after gently squeezing her hand, apparently understanding what the gesture meant. “Now sleep.”

Exhaustion prevented Nanami from noticing the gentle hands that pressed against her cheek and readjusted the cool cloth on her forehead over the next few hours. Yet it was a soft smacking sound next to her head that made her open her eyes.

“Are you feeling better yet?” asked Mamoru, happily munching on what looked like a handful of fruit slices.

“Little monkey, have you already forgotten the conditions of our agreement?” Tomoe asked, seemingly appearing out of thin air. “I said I would cut your apple provided you let Nanami rest, yet here you are. Give me the apple.”

Mamoru shrieked and immediately hid behind Nanami, not willingly to give up his beloved apple.

“S’okay, Tomoe,” Nanami told him groggily as she pushed off the blankets. “I need to use the bathroom anyway.”

Her knees buckled the moment she stood up, and Nanami would have fallen if not for Tomoe quickly steadying her by the arms.

“Sorry I’m making extra work for you,” she apologized.

“I am not,” he replied with a smirk. “I am sorry that you are not well, but at least you’re listening to me today.”

“Hah, hah, very funny,” Nanami said drily. “I’m not that bad.”

“You and I both know that you are willful to the point of recklessness. Now do not argue,” Tomoe interrupted, placing a hand against Nanami’s lips when she parted them to protest, “go tend to your needs while I make you something to eat.”

The mention of food was a distraction that made Nanami focus on the hunger pangs in her belly. After returning from the bathroom Tomoe made her sit in the living room among a pile of cushions that she knew he’d conjured. Now she had her legs tucked beneath the kotatsu, spooning broth into her mouth while Mizuki and Tomoe got into their fifth argument of the day.

The hot soup and cozy warmth on her legs made Nanami drowsy and relaxed. Kotetsu, Onikiri and Mamoru were just as rambunctious, yet Nanami managed to fall asleep on the cushions amid the ruckus.

“Welcome back,” Tomoe greeted when Nanami opened her eyes and found herself still sprawled amid the cushions. “Are your legs steady enough to do a bit of climbing or shall I assist?”

Nanami frowned, unable to figure out where Tomoe was going with this.

“I think I can manage,” she answered. “Why? And where did everyone go?”

“I put them out. They were too noisy,” he answered, sounding unrepentant. “I moved your futon to my room. If you cannot make it down, let me know.”

“Okay. But why is my futon in your room?”

“Because somehow you manage to evade the snake and monkey on your late night outdoor excursions, and you still have a fever. I promise there will be no untoward advances, I merely want to ensure your wellbeing. Now go on. I will be in here for a while.”

She was still tired and going back to bed sounded perfect. After extricating her legs from beneath the kotatsu, Nanami stood up and made her way to Tomoe’s room.

That climb down used the little energy she had left and Nanami gratefully dropped to her futon, which she noticed had been placed far apart from his.

She did have mixed feelings about that; on one hand, it seemed like he was trying to respect her personal space. On the other hand, she wondered if he did not want to be close to her.

More than once Nanami tried to think about what it would be like to sleep with Tomoe. She knew he felt warm and comfortable; even though meeting his wild form 500 years in the past had been terrifying, she’d felt secure sleeping in his firm embrace the entire night. A tiny part of her had even been tempted to let him push her kimono up her thighs and indulge himself with her body.

Yet every time Nanami envisioned herself naked and vulnerable before Tomoe, her insecurities ran rampant. She would picture him poking her small breasts while critiquing her complete lack of sexual prowess, and it had been too much to bear. She was no voluptuous Tanuki woman who embodied femininity and knew her way around a man’s body. Nanami felt awkward and gangly and inexperienced, and allowing Tomoe to view her in such a vulnerable state was the sort of humiliation she would never live down.

Even so, Nanami lost count of the times she pictured herself and Tomoe alone in his room. Current circumstances were not what she’d envisioned, and neither was her futon being in the room, nor it being placed far apart from his.

“This is so weird,” she muttered to herself while pulling the blankets over her body.

She had been tired but now anxiety made her lie awake, wondering when he would make an appearance.

The room smelled of the sweet, shredded tobacco he used in his kiseru as well as something else that she could not put her finger on. It was rare that she saw him smoking as he rarely did so around her, but the scent was comforting all the same.

Lying in a bedroom cellar was different than her own room. Besides the absence of the television which she usually fell asleep to, there were no windows or external sounds. Nanami giggled to herself, thinking that it really was like a cozy fox’s den, and she understood why Tomoe had chosen this room for himself. She had just drifted off when she heard the sound of the bedroom hatch being closed, followed by the rustling of bedclothes as Tomoe sat on his futon.

Nanami still resented him placing her futon across the room, but at least he hadn’t put up a screen between them so she had a clear view of him if she turned on her right side.

The soft tapping of things being moved on his tabako-bon reached her ears, followed by the hushed sound of Tomoe’s foxfire igniting. The scent of tobacco teased her nose soon after, and Nanami opened her eyes wide enough to see Tomoe leisurely resting upon his pillow, one hand behind his head and long fingers of the other hand elegantly holding his kiseru.

It was almost taboo, watching him do a thing that was mostly done during solitude as a way to relax, but Nanami was unable to force herself to close her eyes. Tomoe did nothing in half-measures, and that included his leisure activities. The man had perfected the art of smoking, making it and himself look most attractive. She knew how his lips felt, but at that moment as she watched them enclose around the tip of the kiseru, Nanami found herself jealous of a pipe.

As much as Nanami wanted to secretly bask in this quiet side of Tomoe, she soon found herself being gently lulled to sleep by the soft pulls, crackling tobacco and quiet exhales.

* * *

“Nanami. Nanami! Wake up!”

A pair of hands firmly grasping her shoulders and forcing her to sit upright made Nanami’s eyes open. A cascade of unshed tears fell down her face as she peered up at an anxious Tomoe. It took a minute before she noticed that her legs were still halfway on the futon, the sheets tangled around her feet. The rest of her body was at an awkward diagonal angle, as though she’d been trying to get away from something.

“Tomoe?”

“You’re trembling,” he murmured as Nanami collapsed into his arms.

As Nanami tried to regain her bearings, she realized that her breathing was hastened and her heart had been pounding against her chest. She buried her face into Tomoe’s shoulder, clutching onto him and breathing in his calming scent.

“I think I understand why you have been sleepwalking.”

“Sleepwalking?”

“Yes. I’ve had my suspicions for a while now. I believe it has something to do with your father.”

“What does he have to do with anything?”

“It is late and you still feel warm,” Tomoe replied, pressing his hand against Nanami’s forehead. “Perhaps this conversation would be better suited for morning.”

“I’m too upset to sleep now,” she admitted, closing her eyes when Tomoe’s fingers absentmindedly stroked her temple. He then wrapped both arms around her and Nanami sat back, tucking her head beneath his.

“All right, if you insist. Remember when I told you humans should not enter the torii gates of twelve?”

“…Yes.”

“Part of that is because the unknown effects it would have upon a human. I know you said you didn’t remember much of that day, but I do. Your father clearly had an issue with managing money, but it seems as though his irresponsibility bled into other areas of your lives.”

“An understatement of the century,” Nanami murmured, thinking back to the hell her only parental figure put her through.

“I seem to remember there being a fire during your childhood.”

“ _A_ fire? There was more than one,” Nanami continued with a forced laugh. “I can’t tell you how many times he fell asleep from being drunk with a lit cigarette near the futon.”

“Might that have anything to do with you talking in your sleep about something hot?”

“What? When did I do that?”

“The first night I found you asleep on the outer corridor.”

Namami went quiet, wracking her brain and trying to figure out what had prompted those words.

“Did something happen when you were small? Perhaps you were trapped inside your home?”

“I… don’t…” she trailed off, becoming lost in thought. “I can’t remember.”

The two sat in silence for a while, Nanami still resting in Tomoe’s lap as he ran his fingers through her hair. 

_I could fall asleep like this every night,_ Nanami thought to herself as her body sank further into Tomoe. But then a memory surfaced from the dregs of her mind and she lurched forward.

“What is it, Nanami? Are you in pain?”

“No… I just remembered what happened,” she replied in a small voice. “You were right, I was trapped inside. That old man’s recklessness nearly killed us both that night. He was completely wasted and fell asleep while smoking and it was my futon that caught fire. My burning blanket woke me up but I couldn’t unlock the door and no matter how hard I hit him, no matter how loudly I yelled, he wouldn’t wake up. I tried squeezing out a window but it was stuck so I hid in the bathroom. Thankfully some neighbors smelled the smoke and broke down the door and got us out in time. Wow, I’d totally forgotten about that.”

“For a child to go through something so traumatic at the hands of a parent is appalling,” Tomoe replied after a stretch of silence. “I am sorry you were saddled with such a useless father.”

Nanami usually felt the need to defend her father when anyone bad-mouthed him, but facts were facts and Tomoe was correct—the man had been utterly useless.

“A dead mom and a deadbeat dad,” Nanami said jokingly. “It’s a wonder I made it this far.”

“To think I squandered the last 20 years alone in this shrine. Tis a shame we hadn’t crossed paths; at the very least you would have been fed and properly looked after.”

“The last thing you would have done is volunteered to look after a little kid,” Nanami laughed as she tried to imagine herself as a small child with Tomoe as her caretaker. “Besides, you were busy.”

Tomoe scowled, thinking back to what constituted as _busy._ Yes, he tended to the shrine all those years during Mikage’s absence, but he’d spent an equal amount of time wrapped in a foggy haze of sake and Tanuki women.

“I don’t understand why you love me,” she blurted out, immediately feeling foolish but unable to stop. “I’m loud and flat-chested and almost flunked math and I keep waking you up at silly hours every other night. Not to mention that if I had to pay for each time you saved me, I’d be in a lifetime of debt because I can’t seem to stop myself.”

“You are stronger than you give yourself credit for, Nanami. And you left out a few things.”

“What things?!”

“All right, more than a few, but the most important one is _mine._ And I would have you no other way, Nanami.”

Nanami let out a shuddering breath as her forehead came to rest upon Tomoe’s shoulder. She felt worn out from crying over a nightmare which she could not remember, and the last thing she wanted now was return to her own cold futon and sleep alone.

“Can I stay here with you tonight?” she asked in a voice so soft Tomoe had to pitch his ears forward to hear.

“I thought you would never ask.”

“Just sleeping,” she amended, her voice suddenly going shy. “I… I don’t know if I’m ready for more than that just yet.”

“So long as I get to do this,” he paused, emphasizing his statement by gently cupping her face between both palms and pressing his lips to her forehead. “And this…and this…and this.”

More kisses were placed upon each closed eyelid followed by her lips, and Nanami almost swooned when she tasted a hint of tobacco on Tomoe’s mouth. His kisses were soft and sweet, and she couldn’t remember ever feeling so cherished and loved in all her life.

“Now lie down and close your eyes, sweet girl,” he told her, kissing her one last time before gently guiding her to his pillow. “I’ll keep your nightmares away.”

Tomoe stayed true to his word. His intentions remained pure, and the only place his hand strayed was the back of her head where he ran his claws through every silky strand until Nanami went limp in his arms. Only after she had fallen into a deep sleep did that arm slip over her waist to pull her closer against him.

Nanami slept blissfully without another nightmare, and without kicking or thrashing about.

* * *

_**Tabi: the socks Tomoe wears with his sandals. The toe looks separated** _

_**Tasuki: the cord used to tie back kimono sleeves. You can see Tomoe and Mizuki wearing them in the first season.** _

_**Kotatsu: a low table with a heater beneath and a blanket on top** _

**_Kiseru: the pipe Tomoe smokes_ **

**_Tobako-bon: the tray holding the supplies used for smoking kiseru_ **


	2. Chapter 2

Nanami’s nightmares lessened in frequency after that night, yet to her dismay continued occurring. Tomoe insisted she remain in his room for that reason. Her quiet panic made his eyes snap open each time, and Tomoe managed to wake Nanami before her sleep terrors led her to subconsciously crawl to safety.

Mizuki had been apoplectic to learn that Nanami slept in the same room as Tomoe, calling him a lecherous wild fox and a hypocrite considering the way he had lost his temper at Izumo when Nanami suggested the three of them share a room. He’d gone far as attempting to tattle to Mikage, but was calmly reminded by the god that Tomoe and Nanami were engaged to be married as well as adults who were free to make their own choices.

Tomoe had been rearing up for a fight, ready to point out that if it hadn’t been for him Nanami would have frozen to death outside. Yet he was immediately mollified by Mikage’s response, and stuck out his tongue at a sulking Mizuki when Mikage turned his back.

Mikage did, however, speak to Tomoe privately at the first opportunity.

“Please tell me you are being kind to that young girl,” he asked casually from behind his leaf fan.

Tomoe’s face reddened, knowing Mikage was referring to the night he’d been drunk and lewdly propositioned Nanami when he found her asleep in his room.

“There has been no repeat of that night, if that is what you are referring to,” Tomoe replied. “Besides, we both know Nanami would sooner freeze to death rather than share a room with me if I were to behave with anything other than decorum.”

“That is true,” Mikage replied, smiling. “Well, I have nothing more to say on the subject.”

Nanami would have died from embarrassment from hearing that conversation, but she was never made aware that it took place. However, once her night terrors seemed to be gone for good, Tomoe put her futon back in her room.

She had been disappointed to come back from school and find it beneath the canopy, but reasoned that perhaps Tomoe was trying to be respectful. Yet when she lay down for bed that night and found it hard to fall asleep, she felt resentful.

She did not want to sleep alone. She wanted to feel Tomoe’s warm arms around her, his fingers pulling through her hair and lulling her into a blissful state of unconsciousness. Lying in his arms made her feel safe and secure, and she could have stayed in his embrace forever. She was further annoyed when Mizuki found her pouting one night and told her that it was better for her to sleep in her own room, stating that Tomoe was a sly fox who couldn’t wait to take advantage of his poor, innocent mistress.

Nanami defended Tomoe without giving a second thought. Her words were not a farce, as Tomoe had been respectful and nothing beyond a few chaste kisses and caresses took place.

Now it was hard to get a moment alone with her fiancé, and a constant ache took residence in Nanami’s chest and stomach. It left her anxious and on edge for most of the days, and her attention span was increasingly short on supply.

Tomoe was also in a terrible mood but would not say why. He even flatly turned down Nanami when she tried to cajole him with mention of a date in town.

Finally, she had enough of his attitude and she confronted him in his room once everyone had gone to bed. She found him still awake, lying on his futon with both arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling with a blank expression.

“What is it?” he asked without looking at her.

“Why are you angry with me?” Nanami asked, kneeling next to him. “What did I do?”

There was no forthcoming answer for an uncomfortably long stretch. Then Tomoe grabbed Nanami’s wrist and suddenly she found herself straddling him on the futon. She stared at him wide-eyed, wondering what she was meant to do now that she was sitting atop a very intimate area of his body.

“I’m not angry at you,” he answered quietly. “I’m merely tired of sharing you with everyone and I’m tired of sleeping alone.”

Violet eyes were intensely focused on her face as his hands moved to her hips, and Nanami felt her breathing hasten. The want on his elegant face was obvious, and seeing it so boldly while being held in this position made her self-conscious.

Tomoe’s hand slid up to the collar of Nanami’s yukata, tracing along the neckline and making her tremble.

“Why are you frightened?” he asked, pausing his hand.

“What? Who said I was frightened?”

Tomoe gave her a knowing look as he sat up and laid his palm against her fluttering heart. Without warning, he steadied one hand behind Nanami’s back and used the other to tug down her yukata until the tops of her shoulders were exposed. Tomoe pulled her tightly against him and nuzzled his face against her collarbone before dropping a kiss on the delicate area.

“Tis all right if you’re nervous,” he told her, dragging his fingertips across the nape of her neck.

It was almost sinful how good his claws felt raking along her skin with just enough pressure, and Nanami was not prepared for the shivers that went down her spine. If a few caresses made her come part at the seams so easily, Nanami shuddered when thinking about what would happen if she were to let Tomoe go further.

“Fine, I’m nervous. I’m also tired of sleeping alone. But what kind of girl would it make me if I were to sneak to your room night after night before we’re married?”

“Nanami, you are eighteen years old. What you do—what _we_ do, or don’t do—is no one’s business but our own. Besides, this is a matchmaking shrine after all. But if anyone tries to tell you differently, let me know and I shall deal with them.”

“I suppose that is true. I’m sorry, all this is new for me. I don’t know how I’m supposed to behave. And I do know I want to be with you in _that_ way, but I don’t… I don’t know how.”

“Nanami.” Tomoe murmured her name with reverence while curling his fingers around her waist. “Come here, lay beside me.”

Nanami awkwardly climbed off Tomoe while trying to keep her knees together and moved to his side. Their encounter became marginally less uncomfortable when he guided her head to rest atop his chest and covered them with the blankets. 

“I must admit, I never envisioned having to give my future wife the birds and bees talk.”

“Tomoe, you are awful. I know how sex works, you bad fox.”

“I know, Nanami, I am only teasing.”

“You’re teasing but Kei even pointed out how far behind I am in everything.”

Tomoe had been stroking Nanami’s hair and paused. “Far behind in what exactly?”

“I don’t know… Everything, I guess? I’d never gone on a date or had a boyfriend. I couldn’t even tell her that I was seventeen when I had my first kiss, and it happened only because I was trying to not get killed by that witch.”

“I was your first kiss?”

“Don’t sound so smug, but yes. And keep going please,” she added, pushing her head against his hand. Tomoe resumed his strokes and Nanami put her head back down.

“Speak plainly, Nanami. What is it that has you worried about us making love?”

Nanami began to speak but stopped, not wanting to make things further awkward.

“If you want more of this,” Tomoe told her, using his claws to scratch her scalp just the way she liked, “then spit it out.”

“Fine,” Nanami conceded after releasing a quiet sigh of pleasure. “Do you promise not to laugh at me?”

“I would never laugh at you.”

“You’re more… You have more experience than I do with this sort of thing,” she finally confessed. “I feel like I’d end up disappointing you. The Tanuki ladies aren’t flat chested like me, and you don’t smile at me the way you do with them.”

Tomoe stared her over for a moment, careful consideration in his eyes.

“Nanami, you need never compare yourself to another. I apologize for making you feel as though you do. But in the matter of full disclosure, you should know there is a distinct difference between merely being entertained and being with someone you love. As for the latter, that is a first you and I will experience together when you are ready.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Those words were reassuring, but another question suddenly popped into Nanami’s mind.

“Speaking of entertainment, when was the last time you—”

Nanami stopped midsentence when she saw the shocked look on Tomoe’s face. She couldn’t tell if he didn’t want to answer due to trying to spare her feelings, or if he was shocked that she outright asked him such a thing.

“When you went to Izumo,” he told her. “In addition to being distracted by thoughts of you, I was slighted by your choice of partner to accompany you. However, much to the Tanuki ladies’ disappointment, nothing happened.”

“Really. _Nothing?”_

“Nothing aside from me finishing eight bottles of sake and falling asleep alone on the tatami.”

“I believe you,” Nanami replied, closing her eyes when Tomoe reached for her hand and kissed her fingertips.

“I have not been with anyone since knowing you. And not because of that damned familiar contract, but because I have only wanted you.

“Another thing you should know,” Tomoe continued, nudging Nanami to lay on her back and leaning over her to softly cup her face, “you are the only one I have touched like this. The only one I have _wanted_ to touch like this.”

‘This’ turned out to be a series of gentle kisses that began at the side of her face, lingered at her lips, and trailed down her chin to her throat. When those kisses led to the both shoulders and then paused between her clothed breasts, the tips of his soft ears tickling the underside of her jaw, Nanami felt her body sinking into the futon.

“If you were to let me, I would kiss you everywhere like this all night.”

That very idea made Nanami softly gasp, and her fingers began clutching onto the sheets.

“You are so warm and soft and sweet,” he murmured into her neck, tracing the tip of his tongue over Nanami’s rapidly beating pulse. “The more excited you become, the sweeter your scent grows.”

“What do I smell like?” Nanami asked, immediately regretting her question. _Why do you have to make everything so awkward?!_ She raged internally at herself.

“Hmm. Honey. You remind me of honey. Sweet and pure,” he replied, now placing his hot open mouth against the curve of her neck.

A ragged moan escaped her lips that time. Nanami had no idea her neck was so sensitive, and that shock of pleasure made her arch off the futon and into Tomoe, and he used that opportunity to flip her onto her stomach.

“I love this part of your neck,” he murmured, gathering all her hair in a gentle fist and dropping a kiss to her nape. “You have no idea what seeing this does to me when you wear your hair up.”

Tomoe was correct; Nanami had no idea. As it was, she could barely focus on what his kisses were doing to her. The hand tugging her hair with just enough pressure caused her entire body to go limp with relaxation, but the warm lips, moist tongue and a hint of fangs grazing the back of her neck made her writhe from an onrush of pleasure.

By now her yukata had been tugged down to her waist, but Nanami was in no position to complain. She had no idea someone merely kissing your back and shoulders could be so erotic yet soothing at the same time, and it left her aroused yet content. Those kisses were accompanied by a hand kneading and massaging every bit of tension from her muscles, and somewhere in the back of her mind Nanami hoped she wasn’t drooling on Tomoe’s pillow.

“Stay with me tonight,” he whispered against her skin, lightly tracing the tip of a claw down the soft sweep of her spine. The pads of his fingers probing with just enough pressure followed that gentle scrape, and Nanami let out some unintelligible gibberish.

Tomoe never got an answer, because the steady sound of Nanami’s deep breathing, giving away that she’d fallen asleep was enough for him to know that she’d already planned on staying.

* * *

A rare blessed moment of being alone at the shrine arrived sooner than expected.

Kurama was having another show and Mizuki wanted to go for some reason. Ami had also been invited and planned to bring Kei along. Mikage was off visiting friends yet again, and the sound of rain beating against the shrine’s roof and windows made for a peaceful Saturday.

“I didn’t know everyone would be gone,” Nanami mentioned that afternoon over lunch. “I feel like we should have also made plans.”

“I am not subjecting myself to an evening of Kurama and bleeding ears,” Tomoe flatly told her. “Besides, I already have plans.”

Nanami waited to see if Tomoe would elaborate on said plans, and if they perhaps included her. But when no information was forthcoming, she took the hint to mean that she was not invited.

Being casually dismissed stung, especially since only a few weeks passed when Tomoe had kissed and caressed her into state of senselessness. Her feelings were further hurt when Tomoe holed himself inside the living room without a word.

Nanami took to her bedroom for the rest of the day. Normally she would have been overjoyed to have a quiet day of relaxation, but anxiety over the situation with her fiancé ruined that. The television was on but she could barely focus on the screen. Even the latest copy of _Beverly Hills Teenage Drama Diaries_ failed to hold her interest, and she’d been looking forward to reading her new book all week. 

She ended up falling asleep, and an aggravated voice woke her up a few hours later.

“How is it your monkey beat you to the dinner table?” Tomoe asked, shaking her awake. “Come and eat.”

“I’m not hungry,” Nanami told him, uncaring if she sounded petulant.

“Not hungry? I made all your favorites and I’ll be damned for the monkey and those two hellions to be the only ones who enjoy it,” he continued, grabbing her by the wrists and pulling her to her feet. “Now are you going to come out and be sociable or do I need to throw you over my shoulder?”

“Are you calling me antisocial?!” Nanami spat, shoving Tomoe as she followed him out her room. “That’s rich coming from someone who hid all afternoon!”

In spite of claiming that she was not hungry, she ate everything Tomoe served her. When the meal was over and they were alone, Nanami waited to see if Tomoe had anything to say about his odd behavior of earlier. Yet he maintained silence while clearing away the dishes, and Nanami gave up hope of spending quality time with her mate. She went back to her room and was in the middle of tucking in Mamoru when she found Tomoe standing across from her.

“I am going for a bath,” he stated. “I would like it if you were to join me.”

“Oh… Oh!”

That brought her up short and Nanami became visibly flustered.

“There is no pressure, Nanami. Join me if you wish.”

With that, he turned away.

_What should I do? Should I go? This means I’ll be naked in front of him. Naked in front of Tomoe. Girl, get a grip! You’re going to marry this man in a few months; he’s bound to see you naked._

Nanami continued arguing with herself, but finally threw caution to the wind and undressed to change into the yukata she used for bathing. Even though the shrine was mostly empty and completely silent, save for the rain that continued beating down, she felt a little guilty as though on her way to have a tryst.

When Nanami entered the bathroom, clutching her wooden bucket of toiletries so hard it made her knuckles white, she found Tomoe perched at the edge of the tub. His ears twitched ever so slightly at the quiet patter of her footsteps, but he kept his back turned the entire time while fiddling with what looked like a tray and bottle.

“I’m glad you came,” he murmured, standing up and looking across at her.

Tomoe was also dressed in his yukata, obviously naked beneath. Nanami peered around him to look at the tray balanced on a stool beside the tub, finding that it held what looked like a wine gourd and two small cups.

“Would you like to shower first or shall I?”

“Um, I guess I can go first,” she stammered, unsure where to look.

Tomoe walked over to Nanami and briefly embraced her, pressing his lips to her forehead. He then secured the door with an ofuda of his own, throwing her a smug look.

“Shall I wash your hair?” he offered, and Nanami’s heart did a little leap.

“That sounds nice,” she replied. 

There was little conversation as Tomoe took Nanami’s toiletries and set them down. He stood behind her and removed her yukata, handed her a small modesty towel and directed her to sit on the stool. She heard him moving behind her, and forced her stare forward when she realized Tomoe had also undressed.

The feeling of a brush touching her scalp made Nanami jump, but she soon settled into the relaxing sensation of Tomoe gathering her hair in one hand and gently working out every tangle. His claws carefully assisted the process and soon her head was slumped forward, chin resting upon her chest as Tomoe worked on the hair at her nape.

Tomoe could have brushed her hair for hours and Nanami would have let him. The awkwardness of sitting there completely naked while he stood behind her naked was worth it.

His shampooing skills turned out to be just as stellar. Soft fingers cupped her chin and gently guided her head back, and that same hand moved to her forehead, protecting her face while warm water was poured over her hair. Once it was thoroughly wet, there was the sound of shampoo being squeezed out and rubbed between wet hands before working it through her strands.

Months ago, Tomoe told her there was nothing he could not do. At the time Nanami only half believed him, but now as his hands easily reduced her to a pile of mush, she told herself that he’d been telling the truth.

This experience was as amazing as it was awful, only because she wished he could wash her hair from now on. There was no way she could emulate these sensations that had her skin tingling.

“Nanami,” she heard him call softly. “I am finished.

She didn’t realize that she’d dozed off to the point of tipping sideways on the stool until she was guided upright by the shoulders.

“That was…perfect. Thank you,” she told him, reluctantly opening her eyes. “Is it all right if I… Can I do the same for you?”

“I would enjoy that very much.”

It took a bit of effort for Nanami to stand up, as she still felt completely relaxed. She managed to get to her feet and did her best to avert her eyes as Tomoe sat before her.

During their very first meeting Nanami saw Tomoe sloppily dressed in yukata, the garment lazily secured and exposing more torso than was customary. Then he’d become her familiar and a day hadn’t passed where he was not impeccably dressed. But seeing her fox completely nude was altogether new, and seeing all his exposed pale flesh up close sent her heart galloping.

Nanami had to remind herself that she was meant to be washing his hair, and picked up the hairbrush with trembling hands.

There was a bit of maneuvering as his tail was right at her knees, added to the fact that even sitting his head was at her chest. Yet as always, Nanami strived to do her best and she mirrored Tomoe’s exact movements while brushing his hair, although she wasn’t surprised when the bristles didn’t hit one snarl.

Wetting his hair was a bit trickier, as she did not want water to get into his ears. Nanami carefully cupped each appendage while strategically pouring water from the bucket onto his scalp before adding the shampoo.

Nanami never cared much about her nails, but now she mourned the short, stubby bits as she gave her best effort at a scalp massage. It was hard to tell if she was doing a good job or not, as Tomoe maintained his perfectly erect posture on the stool. Yet when she cupped his chin, titling his head back to get at his fringe just like he’d done to her, Nanami noticed that Tomoe’s eyes were closed and his face displayed what could only be construed as bliss.

There was no objection when she guided his head to rest against her chest, and her small fingers massaged little circles at both temples, using the pads of her index fingers to smooth along the nonexistent lines on his forehead.

“Where did you learn this?”

Nanami peered down to see Tomoe’s bare chest steadily rising and falling with each relaxed breath. His question held no judgement, merely curiosity.

“From a book about dealing with anxiety,” she answered, still massaging his temples. “I was always stressed with school and home stuff, and I’d get these awful headaches. Doing this usually helped.”

Tomoe gave a little hum and fell silent. That time Nanami felt him sinking back into her ever so slightly, and that gave her a vantage point of his lap. The back of his head was very close to her breasts and bless her sweet fox, for a small towel covered his lap and that kept Nanami from panicking.

She felt a bit more exposed when it came time to wash their bodies, but her blushing did little to dissuade Tomoe from offering to scrub her back. She did the same for him, and somewhere along the way Nanami almost forgot about her shyness.

Almost.

Her arms automatically covered her breasts and pubic area as she made her way to the bath first, and her eyes were glued to the little tray as Tomoe followed suite. Her peripheral showed a clear view of his lithe wet form, and she wanted to look but could not bring herself to do so.

Now Tomoe was moving to the side of the tub, reaching over to his tray.

“You have no tolerance for alcohol so I advise not to drink it too fast,” he told her, pouring the wine and handing Nanami the small cup. “A little won’t hurt but stop if you get dizzy.”

Nanami finally looked up and accepted the drink with thanks, before taking a small sip as directed. She almost swooned as the rich flavor caressed her tongue, and when she was halfway through her body felt as though it had become one with the warm bath water.

“Nanami.”

“Yes?”

“Are you all right? Did you drink it too fast?”

“No, I’m fine. I’m just so relaxed. I see why you drink sake in the bath.”

“Does this mean I need to start hiding the alcohol?”

Nanami laughed. “Definitely not. One hangover from those sake buns was enough for me,” she reminded him, cringing as she thought about that morning after they’d left Mount Kurama. While being drunk felt good at first, the nausea and pounding headache that followed hadn’t been worth it.

“This is the first time I have poured you a drink, although usually it is sake that a familiar serves their god.”

“This tastes way better,” Nanami replied, taking another sip. “Don’t tell Mizuki because I don’t want to hurt his feelings but I don’t think I like sake. It’s too strong.”

“All the more reason why I _should_ tell your cute Mizuki,” Tomoe replied, grinning toothily as he peered down into his cup. “That damn snake poured you sake on your birthday when I should have been the one to do so.”

“Tomoe! Be nice. Anyway, if you recall I didn’t really drink it so it doesn’t count.”

Nanami wasn’t convinced that Tomoe would be nice to Mizuki, and made a mental note to remind him later. Soon she finished her wine and set her cup down on the floor behind her. She didn’t realize that she’d closed her eyes, and opened them when she heard Tomoe calling her name. He was holding out a hand, his eyes focused on hers. Nanami moved closer and intertwined her fingers with his, smiling when he drew her closer.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” he asked, guiding her arms around his neck and before slipping his around her waist and brushing his lips across hers. “No expectations, I just want you close to me.”

Nanami had a flashback of herself telling Tomoe that he never looked at her the way he did with the Tanuki ladies. But right now, his violet eyes were so intently fixated on her that she almost felt it at her core, as though he was looking into her soul.

That look was one she hadn’t seen before, and Nanami knew it was meant for her eyes only. It was reassuring, making her know for certain that she was the only one in his heart. Suddenly thoughts of jealousy and insecurity were forgotten, and her voice was barely audible when she finally answered Tomoe’s question.

“Yes.”

Those perfectly shaped lips that were a hairsbreadth away were suddenly against hers, and Nanami became enthralled in the feel of Tomoe’s tongue teasing hers.

“When I became a fox I had to hide to keep you from squeezing me at every turn,” he began lightly, kissing the tip of her nose. “I meant it when I said you could touch me as you liked once I was back to normal, and now you are shy again.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Nanami. I understand why it is difficult for you to let go and allow yourself to be vulnerable,” he explained, running his fingers along her lower back beneath the water. “When you live your entire life without being able to trust or depend on anyone, it is to be expected. You spent most of your eighteen years looking after yourself when that was not your job. I did the same out of survival for over 500 years until I met Mikage. As I said—I understand.”

“I never quite thought about it that way, but it makes sense,” Nanami replied, suddenly feeling braver and settling back to press a hand to Tomoe’s chest. “Sometimes it’s scary when I think about how much you know me.”

“it goes both ways,” he told her, placing his hand at the back of her neck.

They kissed again and when they were done, Nanami remained straddling Tomoe’s thighs.

The wine and steamy bath had also rendered him useless and he tilted his head back onto the edge of the tub, a dreamy expression on his face as though he could go to sleep right there.

Nanami used that time to cautiously smooth her hands over his firm chest. As a fox, his fur had been unbelievably soft. Despite the fact that flesh was currently beneath her fingertips, Nanami marveled at the sensation of Tomoe’s perfect skin.

She’d lost count of the times she felt that firmness pressed against her through his yukata. The first time it happened Nanami had been shocked to the core as Tomoe looked thin as her, yet the sinews beneath all his layers of clothing told the opposite. Now she had her hands on that exposed male firmness, and she wanted to touch more than his chest.

Tomoe had closed his eyes for a moment, reveling in the feel of Nanami’s dainty hands exploring him. When her fingertips glided down the firm contours of his stomach, he inhaled softly and regarded her beneath heavy eyelids.

The girl appeared to be in a trance as she touched him, and he could hear the quickened pace of her heartbeat. It was evident that her innocent exploration was just as arousing for her, and he hoped that his growing erection wouldn’t scare her off.

“Is this okay?” she asked shyly, as though fearful her advances would be rebuffed.

“It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”

He was sure Nanami had a clear view of his erection through the water, but to his disappointment her hands stopped just above his navel. Tomoe understood that she was only comfortable with kissing and touching above the waist, and he decided to not press the issue. In turn he limited his touch to her back, waist and arms, not wanting to scare her off. It was clear that she enjoyed those touches, as told by her hastened breathing and the erect nipples that brushed errantly against his chest. 

Once they finished bathing and dried off and redressed, Tomoe led Nanami through the darkened shrine by the hand to his room. There was a slight chill in the air from the space being unoccupied for the entire day, and Nanami sat on Tomoe’s futon with his haori draped over her while Tomoe lit the brazier.

A single floor lamp emitting a soft, orange glow was the only source of light. Warmth began filling the room, along with the scent of sandalwood incense. Tomoe sat behind Nanami and removed the towel from her head. He brushed her hair again and once it was dry, directed her to lay on her back.

“This feels like a dream,” Nanami whispered, not realizing that she’d vocalized her thoughts.

“If it is, I wish to stay asleep.”

Between the bath, wine, incense and having her hair brushed, Nanami was completely pliant as she lay beneath Tomoe. She made little contented noises as he planted lingering kisses all over her face and throat, and tried to swallow a moan when his lips moved down to her sternum.

“May I kiss you?”

“You just did, but the answer is yes.”

“Remember when I said I wanted to kiss you everywhere?” Tomoe amended, gliding his fingertips down her breastbone. “I want to start here.”

Nanami was still covered with Tomoe’s haori and her yukata, and he carefully drew back the edges of both until her breasts were exposed to his gaze.

Tomoe didn’t need to see Nanami’s face to know she was blushing. It was obvious from the way she turned her head, trying to hide her expression beneath a veil of hair. But a soft moan betrayed her when Tomoe ran both hands up her waist and cupped her breasts, gently teasing the erect nipples with his palms.

He took his time stroking this part of her body, wanting Nanami to slowly get accustomed to everything. It was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a slow pace, as the sweet aroma of her arousal was as thick as the musky aroma of sandalwood incense he’d lit.

Nanami was not prepared for the open mouth that descended upon her neck. While Tomoe kept his touch light and teasing, Nanami felt as though she was gradually being burned with his kitsunebi. His kisses were moving farther down her body and she cried out, reactively arching up when a hot, slick tongue circled around a pink-tipped breast.

She had no idea her nipples were so sensitive. Or perhaps it was merely Tomoe’s expertise that had her writhing. Whatever the case, she didn’t want him to stop and clutched onto his head with both hands.

Nanami was thankful that Tomoe hadn’t drawn attention to her inexperienced reactions to his touch. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do but figured the graceless yelps she wished she could release into the pillow were anything but attractive.

“What are you thinking about right now?” Tomoe asked, pulling Nanami from her thoughts with a kiss to her nose.

“Umm…”

“I can’t make sure you’re all right if you don’t tell me.”

Nanami took a deep breath and turned to look at Tomoe when he shifted to lay beside her.

“I… the sounds I’m making. They’re embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing for whom? I’m rather enjoying them; it tells me I am doing something right. I would like to hear more if you don’t mind.”

“…okay.”

Tomoe’s head dropped again and he began lavishing attention on the breast closest to his face. At the same time his hand toyed with the other one, kneading and massaging a path down to her trembling stomach.

The entire time Nanami had been trying to keep her pubic area covered with the yukata, and Tomoe had to gently push her hand to rest upon the futon.

“Relax, sweet girl. I promised not to hurt you.”

Nanami’s fingers dug into the futon, but she did allow Tomoe to push the yukata and haori away from her lower half. He didn’t attempt to part her thighs right away; his fingers skimmed along her hips for a while, and eventually he leaned down to drop a few kisses upon her belly.

“May I?” he asked after a few minutes, his fingertips moving to lightly rest above the soft thatch of hair covering her mound.

Nanami squeezed her eyes tighter yet slowly parted her thighs a few centimeters, letting out a tiny whimper when claws slowly traveled up from her knee to beneath her sex.

Logic made Nanami continuously remind herself that Tomoe would not hurt her, but feeling those tiny, sharp daggers were equal parts enticing and threatening. She wanted to ask if he could transform his hands so as to not cut her, yet found herself shocked to the nines when his slim, clawed fingers delicately parted her folds and easily found the sensitive nub within without leaving her with so much as a nick.

Nanami was no stranger to touching herself, but it had always left her achy and unfulfilled. She had an idea there was more to it, yet could never reach the point of finding out. Tomoe, on the other hand, seemed to know what the missing piece of the puzzle was, because he stroked her with such precision that she forgot how to breathe. It was as though her entire being had been reduced to that one tiny spot between her legs, and it caused a pulling in her core so strong it hurt.

“Stop holding your breath,” she dimly registered Tomoe telling her.

“That’s easier said than done,” Nanami told him between clenched teeth, panting hard as her hips thrashed against his hand. “I feel like I’m going to fall.”

He leaned over to brush his lips against hers before gently capturing an earlobe between his teeth. “I’ll catch you,” he whispered, flicking his tongue against her neck.

For a brief moment Nanami told herself that the analogy made no sense, seeing as Tomoe’s futon was on the floor. But rationale had fled the room, and the only thing Nanami could focus on was the torturous but sweet ache Tomoe’s hands were causing. Besides, he’d understood her and his comment gave hint to him knowing more than he was letting on.

She soon found out what that was.

Nanami was caught between wanting to stop Tomoe, and also telling him not to stop. Then he actually did stop and she wanted to shout at him for leaving her in agony. She was thankful for keeping quiet when Tomoe moved from her side to kneel between her legs. He hooked an arm beneath her right leg, pushing it almost to her chest while directing her to hold onto the other.

It was mortifying to be on display and spread so shamelessly, but the need for Tomoe’s touch again outweighed the shame and Nanami moaned when his hand came against her again.

This time she noticed an absence of claws, which was comforting, but what left her on edge was the fact that Tomoe seemed to be teasing instead of touching where she needed most. A blunt-tipped finger traced the seam of her slippery folds, and Nanami’s leg jerked at the unexpected sensation. When it slowly pressed inside, she gasped loudly and Tomoe’s hand paused while he kissed the inside of her knee.

“All right?”

“Yes.”

It seemed as though the lone digit was being used purely to gauge a reaction, because it was suddenly withdrawn and then replaced with a second finger alongside it.

One finger had been just okay, neither good nor bad. Two, on the other hand, was considerably more intense, almost to the point of pain and upon Nanami flinching against him, Tomoe didn’t push past the second knuckle.

“Hmm, it hurts,” she groaned, breathing hard and writhing her hips.

“Shall I stop?”

“No, your fingers don’t really hurt,” she breathlessly explained. “It’s… like a stomachache? I don’t know how to explain.”

Tomoe knew Nanami was a virgin, but that admittance told him she was perhaps also a stranger to orgasms.

“It’ll get better, just keep breathing,” he told her, his eyes glued to twin mounds atop her heaving chest.

The two fingers moved at a maddeningly slow pace, yet they rotated and curved and pressed into tender spots that made Nanami completely forget her inhibitions. By now she had soaked Tomoe’s hand with her arousal and her fingers were clutched onto the sheets, coming close to ripping them.

A thumb being introduced to massage her engorged clitoris while the other two fingers expertly caressed her insides made Nanami cry out while thrashing hard against Tomoe. It felt as though something huge was on the precipice and she worked herself back and forth on his gently thrusting fingers, her needs becoming stronger by the second.

“Tomoe!” she whined, her voice frantic as the fluttering between her legs turned into a throb.

“That’s it, sweet girl, you’re almost there,” he crooned, maintaining his fingers’ unhurried pace.

Nanami wanted to dig her heels into the futon, yell and demand that he go faster, yet no matter how much she pressed against him the stubborn fox refused to relent. It didn’t matter, however, because all it took was a simple hooking of his ring and middle fingers within her to press hard against an engorged spot, coupled with a long drag of his thumb over her reddened nub, and Nanami swiftly came apart at the seams.

Head thrown back, trembling against him while barely able to form coherent sentences was how Tomoe longed to see Nanami ever since falling in love with her. Yet the fantasy paled in comparison to the real thing. Never had he heard his name uttered so sweetly and it made his ego soar, knowing he was he one to bring her there.

There was a long stretch as Nanami continued pulsating around his fingers, and he slowed his thrusts to ease her through the aftershock of her first orgasm. Only when her limbs collapse upon him and the futon did he withdraw from her, swearing in the back of his mind at the tight, sucking grasp he felt from the motion.

Right now, he wanted nothing more than to throw Nanami’s legs around his waist and bury himself deep inside her, but timing was everything and now was not it.

Nanami was still panting when Tomoe leaned over her, and she was so worn out she barely returned his kiss.

“Thank you,” he told her, kissing her temple after brushing back her damp hair. He felt Nanami’s lips curve into a smile, and she brought a trembling hand to his face.

“I think that’s my line,” she murmured without opening her eyes.

“No, it’s definitely mine,” he insisted. “Thank you for trusting me enough to share that with me.”

“I didn’t know… I had no idea I could do that.”

“Exactly my point.”

Nanami fell silent for a few minutes, still trying to catch her breath.

“Are we going to…?” she finally asked, pressing her hips against Tomoe.

“Not tonight,” he told her, “but you may touch me if you like.”

Tomoe had kept himself propped up on both forearms, leaving only his legs against hers. There was enough space for Nanami to move as she liked.

Nanami had an idea of what Tomoe meant she could touch, but first she had to summon up her nerve, as well as the energy, to get there. She started off by placing her palms against his warm chest, sliding down the smooth, firm contours of his stomach until she reached his navel. A thin line of hair tickled her fingertips and Nanami felt her breathing get faster again as she thought about what she’d find the lower she moved. The prospect of touching him so intimately left her nervous, but curiosity made her continue.

After telling herself that it was now or never, seeing how they rarely had alone time, Nanami decided to go on.

Many times she wondered what touching Tomoe would feel like, but nothing prepared her for the feel of that solid, heavy length she now carefully curled her fingers around. He was thick from base to tip, and thoughts of him buried inside her was equal parts thrilling and terrifying.

The entire time Nanami’s eyes had been closed, too shy to look Tomoe in the eye as she explored his body. Now she opened them to find that his were closed, his mouth slackened as though he was becoming lost in her touch.

“Is this okay?” she whispered, slowly dragging her hand up his length.

His answer was in the form of a muffled groan, and Nanami was further encouraged when his hips began moving along with her hand. Instinct soon kicked in, and she figured out that Tomoe enjoyed it when she gripped him a little tighter. Rivulets of slippery fluid had begun trickling down her hand, and when she captured some of it with her palm to aid her movements, he let out a loud hiss that made her aroused all over again.

The sight of her beautiful fox slowly becoming undone was amazing to witness, and the fact that she was responsible for his undoing left her pleased.

Too bad her arm was beginning to ache.

“Is your arm beginning to hurt?” he suddenly asked, and Nanami peered up at him in shock.

“Okay, can you read my mind?”

“No,” he told her, chuckling. “But do give me some credit for paying attention to the details.”

The details, she supposed, was her pace becoming uneven. That was easily remedied when Tomoe moved to kneel between her legs, pulling Nanami to sit up with him.

The lamp was across the room, but it gave just enough light for Nanami to see the erection before her. She could also clearly see Tomoe, staring at her intensely yet looking quite poised even with his yukata half falling off.

Now desperate to see how much further unraveled he could become, Nanami resumed her task this time using both hands. She felt Tomoe tremble against her when she gently cupped his sac, and his breathing became heavier. It wasn’t hard to tell that he was close to the edge; the tendons stood out on his neck as he threw back his head, and his thigh and stomach muscles were contracting erratically. His hips were roughly thrusting into her hand, and it wasn’t long before he went completely ridged, uttering her name while shooting his release onto her breasts.

Watching Tomoe climax caused her core to throb again, and she wanted to press her thighs together. That was impossible, however, because Tomoe was still kneeling between them and had begun lustily kissing her as he came down from his orgasm.

Nanami still had her hand on his cock, and had to tell herself to let go. Most of her hand was covered with his seed and she kept it to one side, not knowing what else to do.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice still husky after kissing her one last time. “Give me your hand.”

Nanami didn’t know where the cloth came from, but Tomoe suddenly had one and used it to clean her hand and chest. He then used it on himself and left it somewhere near the futon.

“Are you all right?” he asked, plucking their fallen clothing from the bedding and setting it beside the futon. “Do you need anything?”

“I’m fine. Thank you.”

The pulsing between her legs was still present, but her sudden need for sleep was stronger and she yawned. Tomoe understood and waved his hand, extinguishing the lamp.

It seemed silly to feel self-conscious about them lying together while naked, even if it was dark and they were covered by sheets. Yet the feel of Tomoe’s warm body pressed against hers felt better than she could have imagined, and Nanami easily forgot her embarrassment.

Nanami heard Tomoe’s head shift on the pillow, and she felt his lips against her forehead. That made her hug him tighter, but her arm fell slack when he began toying with the ends of her hair. It took seconds for her to fall asleep, and she remained in Tomoe’s arms that entire night.


End file.
